(2000)
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(2000) |
A parody not only of slasher films but also of postmodern slasher films and of parodies of postmodern slasher films. It gets a little complicated in here.
Also known as: I Know What You Screamed Last Semester (working title), I Know What You Screamed Last Summer (working title), Shriek (shortened title on VHS tape)
Subgenres: comedy, postmodern
Director: John Blanchard
Starring: Majandra Delfino, Tiffani-Amber Thiessen
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This film is sure to be compared to Scary Movie, and perhaps unfavorably by most. While Scary Movie went gunning for extremes in its search laughs and repellant effects, Shriek operates on a more conservative scale, but hits the target bit more often. Unlike its better-known compatriot, Shriek doesn't follow the plotline of one film (Scary Movie follows Scream's plotline to a T, and gets bogged down in the process). Instead, it starts off with Scream, bounces through I Know What You Did Last Summer in a series of flashbacks, and then proceeds to run through genre films at a good clip; the melding isn't exactly seamless, but it's crammed with enough one-liners and sight gags to make it enjoyable. I was also pleased to note that Shriek had the willingness to reference Grease, Porky's, and Christine, all of which are (gasp!) older than the film's intended audience. There's even a sequence from The Patty Duke Show, for Pete's sake! The acting is about what you'd consider par for a parody: overly broad, but appropriately so. Tom Arnold seems relaxed in this film; his comedic timing is impeccable. Simon Rex is rightly vacant in his comedic imitation of Matthew Lillard's Scream character, and the rest of the cast--notably Majandra Delfino (parodying Clea DuVall in The Faculty) and Danny Strong (doing Porky's Dan "Pee-Wee" Monahan) perform their admittedly limited roles well. In fact, Coolio is the unwitting victim of the movie's only complete misfire, a gag on Prince. This flick isn't a laugh riot, but it's remarkably light-spirited, moved well, and had enough in-jokes to keep me interested. (Mar 6, 2001) | |||||
A parody of the horror, postmodern horror, and parodic postmodern horror genres.
